To help you navigate the revised state budget for fiscal year 2027, we've put together an analysis detailing all the education funding changes in the budget and what they mean for students in your community and across the state. Additionally, we've created a resource that lists the additional state education funding each town will receive and explains how that funded was calculated and will be distributed.
In 2024, the Connecticut General Assembly passed legislation that expanded the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula to include more students participating in various public school choice programs. However, because of how this change was implemented, state grant formulas for school choice programs depend on the ECS formula definitions in state statute but in inconsistent ways.
As the cost of educating students continues to increase, some states have modified their education funding formulas to adjust for inflation. This document provide an overview of the current inflationary increases in state school funding formulas, and what this means for Connecticut.
Despite state charter schools receiving most of their funding through state sources, local school districts may still be impacted financially by the opening and operation of a charter school. This briefing focuses on the potential financial implications of state charter schools on local school districts.
The Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula is used by the State of Connecticut to distribute approximately $2.36 billion annually in state education funding. This infographic breaks down the ECS formula and provides an easy-to-understand look at how it is used to provide state funding to Connecticut's local and regional public school districts.
As part of the state budget for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the Connecticut General Assembly made several changes to the ECS formula, including expanding the types of districts eligible for the formula's Regional District Bonus, and increasing the amount of funding per student provided by the Bonus. This document provides an overview of these changes to the Regional District Bonus, and answers some of the most common questions about this component of the ECS formula.